The ABC’s of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of giving attention to the present moment without attaching to certain outcomes or judgement. In my experience, mindfulness is about quieting down your role as narrator, and allowing the intellect of your other sense organs to take over.

The beauty of mindfulness is that it does not require you to sit a-top a Himalayan mountain for months in search of eternal enlightenment. There are both formal and informal practices to choose from, all of which can fit comfortably into a busy lifestyle. Whether you can allocate half-an-hour each morning to mindful meditation, integrate mindfulness into your daily yoga practice or commit to a simple mindful minute at your desk, there are excuse-free options for everyone.

As the science of mindfulness wins the world over, mindfulness practices are now showing up everywhere. From large corporations such as Google employing a Head of Mindfulness to offer programs to employees, to primary and secondary schools introducing mindfulness into their curriculums. If many of our major institutions are getting behind it, surely there is something to this mindfulness movement that can serve us in our daily lives.

So, to make things simple, here are the ABC's of introducing mindfulness into your life.

Attention

One of the biggest benefits of a mindfulness practice is the ability to recognise that our normal state of mind is not our natural state of being. For most of us, we experience the world in a constant state of what David Rock has marked our “default setting”. It can be understood as a kind of autopilot mode, where our attention is focussed on matters of the self in relation to past events and future assumptions. In this setting, we experience the world with ourselves at the centre. This is self-focussed processing, with each event and experience happening to us, in a very personal, individualised way. What a limited way to experience the world!

“When the default network is active, you are thinking about your history and future and all the people you know, including yourself, and how this giant tapestry of information weaves together.” David Rock 2013.

Mindfulness opens you up to a whole new way of experiencing the world. Each exercise helps to form new neural-pathways outside of the medial prefrontal cortex, also known as the “me centre”. When you focus attention outside yourself, you will reduce activity in the narrative circuitry.

So when you feel yourself stressing about upcoming deadlines and decissions, pause for a mindful minute. Take a moment. Where is your attention? Try counting to 10, and observe where your mind drifts. As soon as you notice a distraction, direct your attention towards your body and your breath.

Breath

What is the quality of your breathing? Breath awareness is a great practice for beginners. We can use the breathe as an anchor for our always wandering attention.

Take five minutes for the following breathing exercise. You may practice lying down or standing up. Place your hands on your lower stomach, take 5 deep breaths here. Move your hands to the outer edges of your ribs. Direct your next five breaths to this space. As you breathe, try to keep your awareness on any sensations you are feeling, without judgement. Notice the expansions in your chest and ribs; notice your life force move through your nostrils. When was the last time you allowed yourself to focus on such things? Now place your hands just below your nipple line, directing the breath here. The final practice will be to place your hand on the back of your ribs. This is Notice the power of your awareness and intention, as you direct the breathe through your body.

Connection

Connection with others is one of our basic needs as humans. What interrupts our connection to others is a false sense of self and a distorted sense of separateness. As a way to mend our chronic disconnection, we can practice mindfulness to remind us that there is no beginning or end ourselves, others and the world around us.

Something as simple as focusing on the task you are doing can bring you into a state of mindfulness. Take for example, enjoying a glass of water. Focus your awareness on the way that your hand holds your glass. Focus on the weight of the object, and the weight of your hand. As you drink, pay attention to the way the water flows through your body. For the first time in a while, you give awareness to your internal organs, and the way that an entire system is supporting you to carry out simple tasks. Breathe, be present and find gratitude towards parts of yourself you rarely pay attention to.

Are you ready for something slightly confronting? Practice looking into your partner’s eyes. Really look. Notice what thoughts and feelings pop up. Perhaps you observe fear, vulnerability, lust, joy, pain or pleasure. Stay connected and then practice giving them loving kindness.

Mindfulness will allow you to detach from your partner through your own experience, and instead recognise their divine interconnectedness. Mindfulness can be a tool to support you to build an empowering connection based on mutuality.

If you are interested in finding out more about mindfulness, there are many great communities and apps out there to test the waters with. Make sure you check out Mindful In May, an easy to use program which only asks that you meditate for 10 minutes per day for the month of May - how easy is that! Headspace.com is another great one, known as the personal trainer for your mind. Or download the Stop, Breathe and Think app to get started on your mindfulness journey today.

#Mindfulness #Spirituality #YogiLifestyle